Floor.



PATENTED JULY 10, 1906.

T GANTWELL FLOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21 1905 l m a DJW 724m y I rm: [mums PETERS ca. wAsflllyc'rolv, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS OANTWELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF.TO JAMES O. BEERS, JR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FLOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed l'uly 21,1905. Serial No. 270,633-

To LbZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS CANTWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Providence, Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Floors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to floors such as are used in fireproof or similar buildings.

It particularly provides means for securing a floor composed of wooden or like strips on a lower plastic course, which may be of cement, concrete, or any similar desired material.

The invention also comprises with the floor the clamp by which the lower and upper courses are connected.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a floor embodying my invention, the different courses being broken away to show the construction. Fig. 2 is a section through the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the clamp before it is attached to the floorbar. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete clamp.

In the drawings, 1 represents a lower course of plastic material, as cement or concrete, in which is embedded a plurality of bars 2, shown as formed of angle-iron with their grooved sides uppermost. These are laid parallel with each other and preferably embedded in the plastic course. At distances apart corresponding to the width of the wood or similar floor-strips 3, which are to form the upper course of the floor, are formed recesses 11, extending on each side of the bar 2. These may be either made before the floor is set 01' picked out afterward, as desired.

In the form of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the strips 3 are provided with rabbeted edges 31. These floorstrips, which may be of any desired thickness and width of wood or like material, are laid transversely ofthe bars 2 and are secured thereon by the clamps shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The clamp consists of a lower portion 4, comprising a plate 41, in which is a central threaded aperture 42, the plate having opposite longitudinally-extending arms 43, which are malleable and when the clamp is in place are bent under the inclined faces of the bar 2. The upper part of the clamp consists of a plate 44, having an aperture 45. The two are adapted to be secured together by a screw 46, enga ing in the aperture 42 of the lower part of the clamp and preferably having its head received in the countersunk recess 45 of the upper plate or part 44. The clamp portions 4 having been inserted in place, as shown in Fig. 2, the strips 3 are laid side by side and the plates 44 engaged over the rabbeted edges 31 of the strips, the screws 46 being then used to secure the clamp parts 4 and 44 together, thereby securing the strips 3 to the lower course 1 of the floor. To complete the floor, intermediate strips 5 of less thickness than the strips 3 and of a sufficient width to join their upper edges are introduced and secured in position in any desired manner. It is of course advantageous that the upper faces of the strips 3 and 5 should be flush. For the sake of ornamentation the strips 5 may be formed of a different woodas, e. 9., walnut strips may be laid in floor of light-colored wood, as ash or beech.

It is obvious that my invention may be embodied in forms considerably differing from those shown and that parts of the device may be advantageously used without others.

In any form of my device it may be advantageous to secure the bars 2 more firmly in the floor than by merely embedding them in the plastic course. For this purpose I have shown in Figs. 2 and 5 an anchor 8, which, as shown, consists of a bent rod passed through the lower end of a cotter-pin 81, the upper ends of the pin being passed through a suitable hole in the bar 2 and bent over into the groove of the angle-iron. It is obvious that any number of these anchors, either in the form shown or in any convenient form, may be used, as desired.

It will be seen that the bars 2 of my device take the place of the wooden sleepers, which it has heretofore been customary to lay in a cement floor. These wooden sleepers being laid while the floor was in its wet condition that is, before the cement had set-were very subject to dry rot, by which their durability was decreased. The iron sleepers or bars 2 of my device will last as long as the cement floor itself.

What I claim is 1. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a clamp-engaging bar secured therein, an upper course of strips laid transversely of said bar, and clamps comprising a plurality of members, one of which is malleable and is bent to engage opposite outer faces of said engaging bar, and the other of which engages a strip of said upper course for securing said strip to said clamp-engaging device.

2. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a bar having an inclined or non-vertical face embedded therein, an upper course of strips, and clamps comprising a plurality of members, one of which is bent to engage around said bar, and the other of which engages a strip of said upper course for securing said strip to said bar.

3. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a bar having an inclined or non-vertical face embedded therein, an upper course of strips, clamping means having one part se cured to said bar by engagement with its inclined face and another part engaging the edge of said strip, and means for detachably securing together said clamping parts and for thereby securing said strip to said lower course.

4. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a clamp-engaging device secured therein, an upper course of strips having rab beted edges, clamps engaging over the rabbeted edges of said strips and with said clampengaging devices for securing said strips to said lower course, and additonal strips secured between said first-named strips, covering their rabbeted edges and having their upper faces fiush with the faces of the first said named strips.

5. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, an angle-bar secured therein, an upper course of strips, a floor-clamp for securing said strips to said lower course, said floorclamp comprisin a part having its ends bent under said angle bar and a plate for engaging the edges of adjacent strips and a screw for detachably securing said clamp parts together.

6. In combination with a floor comprising a lower plastic course and an upper course of strips, a bar secured in said lower course, and a floor-clamp comprising a malleable part constructed and fitted for engaging opposite outer faces of said bar by the bending of its members, a part for engaging the upper floor course, and means for detachably securing said parts together.

7. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a clamp-engaging bar having .an inclined face secured in said plastic course, said course having a recess adjacent said bar, a clamp member having bent ends engaged over said bar within said recess, an upper floor strip on said plastic course, a second clamp member engaging over said strip, and detachable means for securing said clamp members, for the purpose specified.

8. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a clamp-engaging bar having an inclined face secured in said lastic course, said course having a recess a jacent said bar, a clamp member having bent ends engaged over said bar within said recess, an upper floor-strip on said plastic course having a rabbeted edge, a second clamp member engaging over said rabbeted edge of said strip, and detachable means for engaging said clamp members, for the purpose specified.

9. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a clamp-engaging bar having an inclined face secured in said course, said course having recesses adjacent said bar, clamp members having bent ends engaged over said bar within said recesses, a plurality of upper floor-strips having rabbeted edges laid transversely of said bar on said plastic course, clamp members inserted between said strips and engaging over the rabbeted edges of adjacent strips, and detachable means for engaging said first and last named clamp members, for the purpose specified.

10. A floor comprising a lower plastic course, a metal bar having outwardly-inclined faces embedded therein, an upper course of strips, clamps for securing said strips to said bar, and having bent members engaging under the inclined faces thereof and an anchor in said plastic course and secured to said bar for holding it in position.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribmg witnesses.

THOMAS CANTWELL. Witnesses 'Y E. M. STEVEN, G. W. SOHAEFER. 

